Blood and Secrets
by Ae Gardenia
Summary: Kanetsugu has just come back after his first battle, having gained his first battle injury. Being too proud to admit anything, he tries to hide it -however, nothing has ever been kept a secret from Aya, and this is no exception. (Sucky summary, please read ;) )
**So, this is my first actual Samurai Warriors fanfiction! The previous one was Pokemon Conquest, so it was technically a crossover XD**

 **Please keep in mind that I have NOT actually played SW yet, and everything I know is from: a)the Koei Wiki b)some gameplay/cutscenes from YT c)other fanfictions... so if Aya and Kanetsugu are completely out of character here... or if there's absolutely no sense in what I wrote... well feel free to tell me so I can fix it in my next fanfic!:)**

 **Oh and I refer to the place where Kenshin and Aya are supposed to be as 'castle', even though I think it's western terminology ^^; hey it's nearly midnight, my brain's slowly shutting down :3**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **~*Blood and Secrets*~**

It hurt. It hurt like hell. It felt as if somebody was pushing a knife between his shoulder and spine, trying to pry the bone apart from the joint.

Kanetsugu winced as blood trickled between his fingers, falling on the floor and creating a thin red path, following him whenever he went. His first battle alright, it had been a success. As lord Kenshin's retainer, he had led the Uesugi troops to battle without a fault. The battle had been won and lord Shingen's forces had retreated back to their own land.

Not without a price, however. Although there had been few casualties, Kanetsugu himself had been injured. It had been his first battle injury, and while a small part of him felt proud about gaining his first scar, the rest wanted to curl up in a corner and cry in pain.

He couldn't cry however, not now. Not when he had to present himself in front of his masters to report the battle -the victory! His pride would not allow the tears to come, not even if the enemy had chopped off his arm.

Biting his lips and trying to steel himself, he raised his good arm and gently knocked on the main room's door.

"Come in."

It wasn't Kenshin's voice. It was Aya's. Aya was Kenshin's older sister and sort of second-in-command. As well as Kanetsugu's teacher and mentor.

Kanetsugu swallowed hard and opened the door, walking in. Immediately, he was faced by Aya's wise blue eyes, scanning him with a mix of interest and criticism, as always. Without a second though, he kneeled on the floor in front of her.

"My Lady, I bring news from the battlefield. I must request to speak to Kenshin-dono."

Aya simply nodded. Indoors, she had removed her signature white hood and cape and was lightly dressed only in a white undershirt and black tights. She smiled at Kanetsugu.

"My dear brother is busy right now. You can speak to me. I promise I'll deliver your words to the letter."

Kanetsugu nodded. "Yes, my Lady." He cleared his throat. "The battle has been won. Takeda's troops have retreated completely."

Aya's face lit up with a smile, small and reserved, yet real. "Those are great news! Your first battle too...I am proud to see my dearest student growing so strong!" She said while motioning for him to stand up.

Kanetsugu did so slowly, but despite his great efforts, he was unable to supress a slight moan of pain. It did not escape Aya's keen eye -or rather, ear.

"Kanetsugu, is something wrong? You look rather pale." She took a step toward him.

He winced. "No, lady Aya, I assure you I'm perfectly fine... Just a little tired from the battle and-..."

Aya's eyes narrowed. Before the man had any chance to defend himself further, she moved in lightning speed, hand lurching forward. Her fingers gripped his shoulder tightly, with a savage, almost unnatural force.

Kanetsugu couldn't restrain himself as her fingers dug into his wound. He let out a short cry, his face contorted in pain.

Aya's apathetic, harsh expression immediately turned into a gentler, worried one. She removed her hand from his shoulder, only to reposition both arms around the man's waist, to steady him as his knees buckled.

"You're hurt." Her voice was surprisingly soft. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It wasn't..." Kanetsugu groaned. "Of importance..." As if the pain and weakness were not enough, he felt a well-known blush making its way on his cheeks. This may as well have been the first time that she had been in such a close physical contact with him, for reasons other than to punish him or fight him during training.

"Not of importance? Of course it was!" She scolded him. Without hesitation, she nearly dragged him towards the door. "Come." She said, heading towards the other side of the castle, supporting him as they walked.

Finally, after what seemed painful ages to Kanetsugu, they reached her room. She slid the paper door open, ushering him inside and taking a quick look around. Without a second thought, she approached the low, long table in the centre of the room and ran her hands accross it, throwing the papers, pens and inkpot to the floor. Kanetsugu looked at her with a confused expression, until she grabbed his hand and rushed him towards the now empty furniture, making him sit down on it.

"There." She said, walking behind him and kneeling on the wooden surface. She placed her hands on his shoulders and started to remove his clothing. Kanetsugu blushed again, this time more intently.

"M-My lady...!" He tried to protest, but she ignored him, strapping off his destroyed battle armor and proceedings to do the same with his kimono. Upon the armor being removed, she was able to see the dark red splotch on the white fabric. She gasped slightly, muttering something about him being a complete idiot, and dragged off his kimono and undershirt, so that now Kanetsugu was naked from the waist up. Which of course, made him feel even more embarassed and uncomfortable.

Aya however, seemed to pay no attention to this fact, as she cursed quietly upon seeing the wide, deep slash starting from his right shoulder and ranging down to his lower back. Dried blood had already formed a dark red crust around the wood, but brighter, warm liquid was still seeping anew from it.

"Battle axe?" Aya asked, and Kanetsugu gave the slightest of nods.

"You're lucky you had your armor on. Had you discarded it, the blow would have surely killed you." She added, and Kanetsugu wondered if the slight waver in her voice was because of worry or anger. Likely the latter one -Aya never worried.

"It bothers me, how and why did you left yourself wide open for such an attack? What have I taught you all those years?" Oh, this was _definitely_ anger. Bad one too. He was sure that, had he not already been wounded, she'd cause him an injury herself.

"I...I was preoccupied..." He whispered.

"In the _middle_ of the _battle_!?" Things only seemed to get worse.

"One...one of our troops... A young woman."

"Dare you tell me you were infatuated by her and it'll be me who will tear you in half." She grabbed her staff for emphasis.

"No, no!" He tried to distance himself from her, despite the pain the sudden move brought him. ''She was stuck on one of the enemy's traps! I..." He bit his lips. "I tried to buy her time so she could come out..." He trailed off.

Aya's grip on his left shoulder relaxed abruptly. "You put yourself between the axe and that girl." She concluded, and Kanetsugu nodded a slight 'yes'.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered.

"Don't be." Without a warning, she hugged his waist gently. "I would have done the same thing. You truly are _my_ student."

Kanetsugu's blush was breaking a world record, if there ever was one. "I-I..." He stammered.

She chuckled, leaving down her staff. "Let's go back into that wound of yours now, shall we?" She stood up. "I'll be right back. Stay here and try not to harm yourself any further." She said with a smile and walked out, leaving Kanetsugu alone.

Kanetsugu sat alone, trying to figure out what had just happened. This was a brand-new Aya he was seeing there, surely not the one he had gotten used to all those years. The Aya he knew would never worry about a thing in the world -well, beisdes her brother, let's be honest- and surely, under no circumstances, would she ever be so gentle to him...

He contemplated sneaking off while he had the chance -because things were getting weird at best, and he still haven't informed Kenshin about the battle!-, but he knew that she'd find him wherever he went and she was, in all honesty, going to make him regret it. So he just sat there, waiting as she had commanded him.

Aya was back a few minutes later, surprisingly fast, Kanetsugu noted. Then again, she was his teacher after all, he reasoned. Her speed has granted him multiple bruised ribs over years of training with her.

Seemingly oblivious to his tangled thoughts, Aya sat behind him again, placing the items she carried next to them on the table -a bowl of steaming hot water, white cloths and bandages. She picked up a cloth and soaked it in the water.

"Stand still, okay? This may hurt a little." She said as she wrung the cloth, before placing it on his back, and starting to clean the wound.

Kanetsugu tensed and bit his lips, trying to supress a cry of pain. He failed, and the sound came out like a low moan.

"Shh..." Aya gently placed her free hand on his other shoulder, then traced it down to his arm, to hold his own hand. "It'll be fine." She said as her fingers interwined with his.

She'd never been so gentle to him again -admittedly, she usually was rough up to slightly sadistic with him. But not now. Now she seemed to be careful as to not break something fragile and vulnerable. Which of course were not two adjectives he would use on himself, but Aya's behavior was very much alike a mother's caring for her sick son.

He said nothing as she went on cleaning his wound, despite the pain that the contact with the cloth caused him. At least after a few minutes he felt the bleeding decrease until it nearly stopped. That was something too.

Finally Aya finished and placed the blood-soaked cloth back in the water -red flowers started swirling around in it, blurring its otherwise crystal surface. Kanetsugu stared at it absent-mindedly, as Aya wrapped bandages tightly around his waist and shoulder, securing them with a knot below his left side.

"There. I'm done." She declared. "Are you feeling better?"

Kanetsugu nodded quietly. "Yes, a lot. Thank you, my Lady. You have my deep gratitude."

A soft chuckle left Aya's lips. "You don't have to thank me." She stood up gracefully and held her hand out to him. "Come, you need rest. Let's get you to bed."

This time, Kanetsugu was not surprised to feel his cheeks heating up again. He took her hand, appreciating her help, and let her lead the way.

He thought she'd just help him to his room, so confusion wrote itself all over his face when he realised she was leading him towards her own futon.

She saw his confused -nearly comical- expression and chuckled.

"Did you really expect me to leave you alone in this state? You might need something in the middle of the night, and by the looks of it you already have a fever. So you'll stay here for tonight, thus I will be able to watch over you." She explained.

Despite his weakness, Kanetsugu managed to break free of her grip and take a few wobbling steps back.

"Who are you and what have you done to Lady Aya?!" he yelped, seriously shocked about his mentor's abnormal, sudden change of character.

This time Aya fully laughed. "I assure you it's me. But you are my student, and this was your first battle after all. Come." She held his hand again and this time she successfully got him to lie down, which was probably because now he was way too weak to resist.

She covered him with the blankets and then sat, kneeling, next to him. She paid a smile.

"Try to sleep now, alright? And tell me if you need anything."

He nodded, still blushing. "A-A-Alright my lady."

"Good." She smiled, then something seemed to hit her. "Oh, I almost forgot." She bent in and pressed her lips lightly against Kanetsugu's.

"That's for winning your first battle."

This time Kanetsugu, that had fought and achieved victory in his ever-first battlem also suffering his injury bravely like a true Samurai, passed out of shock, because of a single woman's kiss.

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 **I am not exactly satisfied with the ending, but I needed a good, sort of funny/cute way to end it without getting overly romantic -because this would be totally OOC for both of them XD**

 **Anyway, please review! Tell me what you think so I can improve :)**

 **Katja~**


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